Page 42 of Valentino

“He wouldn’t be what? I’m so confused, what are we talking now?”

“He wouldn’t put himself into a position to become…. Would he?” I get up and begin to pace. “Why would you let yourself sleep with the bait.”

“You tried to sleep with him?” she squeaks.

“No, but this morning I tested my theory and was overly flirty, I had my blouse unbuttoned with my lace bra showing, rubbing my hands over my hips and doing things that I wouldn’t normally do.”

“Anna.” She smirks as she listens. “And?”

“He was rattled.”

“What do you mean rattled, Valentino doesn’t get rattled.” She frowns.

“Like rattled.”

“Hmm, that is odd.”

“Very un-Valentino.”

“It is, let’s face it, he’s a bona fide sex maniac and it’s no secret that he has a thing for you, he always has.”

“I wish, but anyway. That’s neither here nor there.”

“And he didn’t mention your bra or….”

“Not a word. In fact, he shut me down and said we had to go.”

“That in itself is weird, when does Valentino ever shut down something flirty?”

“Exactly my point.” I nod. “If something wasn’t going on beneath the surface, he would have loved it. He would have been hitting me with the playful banter.”

“One hundred percent,” she agrees, “he would have.”

“I’m telling you, I can feel it in my bones, he has an agenda, and he knows without a doubt that Carlo won’t want him staying with me. He knows that it will trigger him into action.”

“Maybe….” She bites her thumbnail. “You know, you could be on to something.”

“I am on to something, I know I am.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

She smiles into her coffee. “You should seduce him for real and really piss off Carlo, screw that fucker.”

“Maybe I will.”

“Maybe you should.” She shrugs. “I mean, you actually really should.”

“Val doesn’t want me like that, he wants Carlo.”

“But do you want him like that?”

“God no,” I scoff. “I am done with womanizers. Valentino has every woman in the world in love with him. We are strictly friends. Absolutely not.”

“But if you were friends with benefits, I mean.” She shrugs with a mischievous smile. “Worst-case scenario, you get railed by Mr. Delicious himself while pissing off your ex.” She widens her eyes. “It’s a win-win situation if you ask me.”

“It won’t come to that.”